Blast-furnace-charging apparatus.



W. KENNEDY.

BLAST FURNACE CHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1906.- 955,g 5 Patented Apr. 26, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. KENNEDY.

BLAST FURNACE CHARGING APPARATUS. I

APPLICATION FILED PBB.26, 1906.

Patented Apr. 26, 1910.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

iNVENTOR WITNESSES:

w. KENNEDY.

BLAST FURNACE CHARGING APPARATUS. APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 26, 1906.

955,885. Patented Apr. 26, 1910.

3 SHBBTS-SHEBT 3.

WITNESSES: lN-QENTOR flawli la, 7

WALTER ENNEDY, or BnLLEvUn, PENNSYLVANIA;

BLAST-'FURNAbE-CHARGING APPARAT I TS."

Specifieationof Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1910.

Application filed February 26, 1906. Serial No. 308,000.

To all :whom it may concern:- Be it known that I, WALTER KENNEDY, residing at Bellevue, in the county of Allegheny and State of. Pennsylvania, a citizenof the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Blast-Furnaee-Charging Apparatus, of -wh1ch improvements the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in charging apparatus forblast furnaces. In charging blast furnaces the material, as ore, coke, etc., is drawn up by a skip and discharged usually from one side into a hopper.

. material contained in such reeeptaclemay be discharged at-any desired point upon the bell of the main hopper.

The invention is iereinafter more fully described and claimed. .In the accompanying drawings formnig a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a view' artly in section and partly in elevation oi the upper part of a blast furnace having my improved distributing apparatus aplied thereto; Fig. 2 is a view similar to i ig. 1 illustrating certain modifications of my distributing apparatus; Fig; 3 is a detail view illustrating a form of connection between the receptacle for the material and the means whereby the; latter is rotated; Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating the means for holding the receptacle on its seat in the mouth of the main hopper; Fig. 5 IS a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating a further mod fication of my improvement and 6 IS a view of the receptacle shown in F 1g. 5 in combination with a modification of the means for vertically moving the same.

In the practice of my invention, the fur- By reason of this side discharge the material 1s unevenly distributed on the bell of the main hopper and consequently unevenly distributed in the furnacei,

nace is provided with a main hopper, 1, having a bell, 2, which can be raised and lowered through the medium of a rod 3 by any suitablemeans such as the fluid .pressure cylinder 4 connected tothe rod 3 by a chain or wire rope passing over guide-pulleys on the frame of thefurnace. A distributing hopper 5 is arranged above the main hopper 2, being su ported by the main hopper through the me mm of posts or uprights, 6. A receptacle, 7,' is arranged intermediate of the main and distributing ho pers and has its lower end 7*, whichmay iie detachable, constructed to forma tight bearing with a seat, 8, at the inlet end of the main hopper, so as to prevent the escape of gases except when the receptacle is raised as hereinafter described. This receptacle which for convenience will be termed the distributing receptacle, has. a suitable closure, such for example as the hell, 9, which is connected to a sleeve, 10, surrounding the rod, 3, and connectedat its upper endjto any suitable means whereby the bell mady .be shifted vertically as hereinafter describe i k suitable means for raising and lowering this bell or closure, 9, consists of a lever, 11, connected to the sleeve, 10, at one end and at its opposite end to the piston of the fluid-pressure cylinder, 12. The ends of the cylinder, 12, are connected to a fluid-pressure supply through a three-way valve mechanism, 13, and regulating valves, 14 and 15. The pressure of the-fiui employed is such that actin on the piston in the cylinder, 12, it will raise the bell, 9, receptacle, 7, and the charge contained therein. But, as during a portion of the time it is-simply required .to hold the bell in a closed position 'without raising'the receptacle, 7, from its seat, the pressure operative to effect such holding 1S reduced by the valve, 15, and the valve H is normally held in position to prevent the flow of the high-pressure to the upper end of the cylinder, but open topermlt of the pressure reduced by the valve. 15 to flowto the upper end of the cylinder. After the material has been charged into the receptacle by the skip, and it isdesired to rotate the receptacle so as to discharge its contents on the main bell, 2, at a point different from the previous discharge, the valve 14; is shifted so as to permit high-pressure to flow past the valve, 13, to the upper end of the .c'yl inder, 12, and thereby raise the hell, 9, and

the receptacle, 7, which is then rotated as hereinafter described, to any desired length 7 of arc. "After the receptacle has been thus rota,ted';the'valve, 13, isfshifted so 'as to cut bit the flow of high-pressure to the upper end-.of thecylinder, 12, and open such end tothfepxhaust This will permit of the lowering of'the receptacle, 7, onto its seat in the main hopper and the further lowering of the bell, 9, to permit the discharge of the contents of the receptacle ontothe hell, 2. As soon as the contents are discharged, the valve, 13,-is again shifted thereby allowing reduced fluid end of the cy der, l2, and close the 11, 9, the valve, 14, having been previously restored to normal position, whereby the flow of hi h-pressure to the cylinder is prevented and. t e flow of low pressure permitted.

In order to rotate the receptacle, 7 when raised as heretofore described, a toothedwheel, 16, is secured to the sleeve, 10, and a wheel, 17 loosely mounted on such sleeve is provided with a awl-and-i'atchet or other suitable means or connection with the toothed-wheel, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to drive the latter when the disk or wheel, 17 is rotated in one direction; The rotation of this disk or wheel, 17, is eflected in one direction by means of a fluid-pressure cylinder, 18, having its piston connected to a rope, 19, passing around the wheel, 17, and connected at its lower end to a counterpoise weight; These parts are so arranged that when the rope is drawn by the iston of the cylinder, 18, the wheel, 17, be rotated and through'the pawl engagement with the toothed wheel, 16, the receptacle, 7, and bell, 9, will also be rotated. The reverserotation of the" wheel, 17, is effected by the counterweight. i

In the construction shown in Fig. 1, the vertical movements 'of the'receptacle and its closure are eflected by a variation in the pressure of the actuating fluid employed. In Fig. 2 is shown a construction whereby fluid of uniform ressure sufiicient to reduce the pressure 0? the receptacle on its seat is employed for this pur ose, but in such casemeans are preferab y employed for holding the receptacle on its seat. A

'VVhile ordinarily the weight of the re'cep tacle, 7 will be sufiicient to maintain a tight joint between the receptacle and its seat, 8, the lifting force employed for holding the closure, 9, to its seat will alwa s'tend to lift the receptacle, and with care ess operators such receptacle might be slightly lifted so as to permit of the esca e of gases. In order to prevent'thisI emp oy means for holding the receptacle to its seat as against the lifting action of the bell, :5. A convenient means to this end consists of a lever, 23, piv otally mounted on one of the ostsor stand ards,-6, and having one end. orked so as to bear upon the upper edges of the receptacle,

ressure to flow to the u per a receptacle movably mount .In Figs. 5 and 6, I have shown a construction in which the application of power to the receptacle to rotate the same will at the same time sufficiently relieve the friction between the receptacle' and the seat to permit of such rotation. In the construction shown, the receptacle 7 is provided with a flange, 26, resting upon .the seat, 27,- on the upper wall of the main hopper. -A ring or'annulus, 28, is mounted upon the main hop er, 1, and is adapted to be rotated bv a cy inder, 29, through any suitable means, such for-example as a drum 30, which is positively rotated in one directionb the iston of the cylinder through the-me iuin o a pawl-andratchet interposed between ,the wheel 31, which is shifted by the iston of the cylinder, and the drum,30; endless rope,.32, ispassedaround theannulus, 28, andaround the drum 30. Whenit is desired to rotate.

the receptacle,7, the drum 3( is rotated and withit theannulus, 28, in such direction 1 that a lifting force is applied to the receptacle, 7, to relieveits ressure on its seat.

This lifting force can e transmitted from the annulus to the receptacle in many ways,

as for example in Fig. 5 I have shown arms 33, pivotally connected to the nnulus and the receptacle, and normally arranged in a position forming a slight angle with the axis 0f the rece tacle, The resistance to rotation presented y the bearing-of the receptacle on its seat, will cause upward forge to be ap lied to the receptacle thereby lifting it and permitting its ee rotation. In Fig. 6

the annulus is provided with a series of rollers, 34, and inclined blocks35 are secured to the receptacle. When the annulus 1s rotated, the rollerswill pass under the blocks,

35, lift the same and when the frictional resistance is sufiiciently relieved, will carry the receptacle around: with the annulus.

I claim herein as my invention: 1. In a blast furnace charging apparatus, the combination of 'a'm'ain ho per and hell, on the main hopper, aclosure for-said receptacle, means for shifting the closure and means for re ducing the frictional resistance between the receptacle and its seat and for rotating the receptacle. r v 2. .In a blast furnace charging apparatus,

the combination of a main hopper and bell,

a receptacle movably mounted on the main,

hopper, a closure for said receptacle, means for shifting the closure and receptacle and 5 means for rotating the receptacle.

3. In a blast furnace charging apparatus, the combination of a a receptacle having a seat on the main hopper ancl'closing the same, means tending to 10 move the receptacle'f rom said seat, a closure for said receptacle the closure.

4. In a blastfurnace charging apparatus,

and means for shifting main hopper and bell,

the combination of a main hopper and bell, a receptacle arranged above the main hop- 15 per, a closure for the receptacle, means for applying alifting force to the receptacle, means for rotating the receptacle and means for-shifting the closure.

In testimonv whereof, I have hereunto set 20 my hand. I v

x XVALTER KENNEDY. Witnesses CHARLES BARNETT, 'FRIEDA E. WoLF'r. 

